Interval timer



July 19, 1932. ux 1,868,241

INTERVAL TIMER Filed Oct. 6, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR fledere'ck LLaw I BY | -3 A'lTORNEYi July 19, 1932. F. LU-X 1,868,241

r I INTERVAL TIMER Filed Oct. 6, 1928 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HIHlllllulun INVENTOR PatentedJuly 19, 1932 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE rnnnnnrcx1.11:, or warmumz, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB r m LUX CLOCK Mano rac'ruamccomm, or warnaaunr, commc'rrcur, A coaromrron or conivnorrcur INTERVALTIMER Application fled October 6, 1928. Serial No. 310,832.

This invention relates to time-controlled apparatus, and moreparticularly to an in- 'terval timer ada ted to; operate a-switchmechanism after the expiration of a predeter- Q mined period of time.

One object of this invention is-to provide an interval timer having anindicating point- 'er which may be turned backwardly in case p it mayhave been set to operate at a greater '10 time interval than desired.

i A-further object is to provide a device of this nature which will besimple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to mampulate,compact, ornamental 1n appearance,

15 and very eflicient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in viewthere has been illustrated on theaccompanying drawings one form in which the invention a ma beconveniently embodied in practice. 1 represents a front view of theinterva timer and switch mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the same,

taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of thearrows.

Fi 3 is a front sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,looking in the direction of the arrows.

' Fig. 4 is a rear sectional view of the inter val timer as it appearswhen the back plate 80 has been remove Referring now to the drawings inwhich like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throu bout theseveral views, the numeral indicates a vertical back plate adaptved tobe attached to a'wall or any other suitable location. The back plate 10has a plurality of horizontal posts 11- (four in this instance)extending therefrom for supporting a pair of front and rear clock-workplates 12 and 13, respectively. The clock work or spring motor islocated between the plates 12 and 13 and is driven by a spiral mainspring 14 connected at its inner end to a main shaft 15. The main shaft15 is 'journaled in the plates 12 and 13 and is reduced in diameter atits forward'end 16. The end 16 extends forwardly through the plate 12and is squared at 17 for non-rotatively receiving an indicating pointer18 de- W tachably secured in position, as by a nut 19 I ust to the leftof threaded on the extremity. thereof. The

usual standard form of balance wheel 20 and escapement mechanism 21.

The indicating pointer 18 is located in front of a dial 22 havingsuitable time indi cating indicia marked thereon, preferably beinggraduated in the minutes of an hour. The'dial 22 is mounted on a base22a supported in position by a plurality of short posts 23, said postsbeing connected at their rear ends to the plate 12. The indicatingpointer 18, is provided with a pair of forwardly extending handles 24and 25to facilitate its operation, .and in order to prevent the pointer18 from being rotated more than one revolution, thedial 22 has a stopmember 26 projecting forwardly therefrom at a point the minutegraduation marked 60.

In order topermit the pointer 18 to be turned ba'ckwardly in case it hasbeen moved beyond the desired point, provision is made of a pair ofresilient contacting flared metal discs 27 and 28. The disc 27 lies incontact 7 mounted on the main shaft 15. The washer 29 frictionallyengages a ratchet 29a connected as by pawls 30a to a main gear 30. Thegear 30 transmits the power of the main spring 14 to the clock train 31and said pawls 30a are adapted to yield to permit the winding of themain spring l4= by the operation of setting the indicating. pointer 18to the time interval desired. 7

' By means of this construction it will be seen that the handle 18 maybe readily turned back to the zero point or any intermediate point forunwinding the main spring 14 the desired amount, thereby shortening theinterval for which the timer is set, the washer 29 and ratchet 29a beingadapted to slip over one another during this movement.

In the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, the running downof the clock work mechanism is adapted to actuate a. switch, preferablyof-the two pole toggle type and mounted in a casing 32 located on theback plate 10 near the bottom thereof. The loo located outside ofthecasing 32.

The switch is opened and closed by an Open ating lever which projects upthrough the top of the casing, said lever 35 having a pair of arms 36and 37, said arms being connected by a bridging pin 38. The ends of thepin 38 have button members 39 located outside of said switch arms 36.and 37, said buttons serving to receive a pair of helical springs 40which have their other ends connected to' a pin 41 mounted upon the base10. By means of this construction it will be seen that the'springs 40will normally tend to pull the switch operating lever 35 to the leftinto the off position shown in Fig. 3. The switch lever 35, however, isadapted to be held in the on position shown in Fig. 4, by means of adetent arm42 pivoted on a pin 43, and normally urged in acounterclockwise direction by a wire spring '44. Intermediate its endsthe detent arm 42 isprovided in its lower edge with a rectangular slot45 which is adapted to drop down over the central portion of thebridging pin 38 of the switch operating lever 35 whenever the indicatingpointer 18 has been turned beyond a certain definite arc, in thisinstance somewhat less than 60 degrees, or about 9 minutes an thegraduated minute scale of the clock ial. I

Shortlybefore the pointer 18 has reached this oint, the switch lever 35will be snapped rapidly from the off? position of Fig. 3 to the onposition in Fig. 4 by mechanism now to be described. The main shaft 15has a depending movement arm 46 rigidly secured thereto as by a nut 47said movement arm having a pin 48 at its free end located in alinementwith a rockable fork member 49 pivoted upon a stud shaft 50 frictionallyj ournaled in the plates 12 and 13.

In operation, the turning of the indicating pointer 18v as abovedescribed will rock the' fork member 49 and carry with-it a dependingswitch actuating member 51 carried by said stud shaft and having a camedge 52 adapted to engage the central portion of the pin 38, forcing itto the right from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4.During this operation, the pin 38 will ride under the edge of the detentarm 42 until it is engaged by the notch 45 therein. After the timer hasbeen set to the desired interval, the pointer will be released, and asthe main spring 14 runs down, the pointer will be turned in acounterclockwise direction carrying the movement arm 46 with it. The pin48 carried by said arm 46 by reason of its location between the teeth.of the fork member 49 will force the fork in a clock-wise direction.causing the switch actuating member 51 to move in clockwise directionstriking a pin 53 on theupper end of the detent member 42 and liftingsaid detent member untilits/slot 45 beomes disengaged from the pin 38,whereupon the springs 40 will suddenly-pull the switch lever 35 to theleft into" the position shown in Fig. 3.

The interval timer herein disclosed is adapted for use in switching thecurrent on and off of various types of current consuming devices,such'as electric'cookers, water the modifications and embodiments comingwithin the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, andfor which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a time-controlled mechanism, a

, switch-actuating lever, a constant-speed mo tor having a rotary lug, alever-actuating member having a fork fitting about said lug, a springfor urging said lever to one circuit controlling position, a detent armto hold said lever in the other circuit controlling position, and a pinon said detent arm in alinement with said member for causing said lever.to be released after a predetermined interval of time, said memberbeing adapted to be.

manually rotated in one direction to move said lever to said othercircuit controlling position and to be automatically rotated in thereverse direction by said motor to release said detent arm. i

2. In a time-controlled mechanism, a-

switch-actuating lever, a constant-speed mo.- tor having a rotary lug,Ja lever-actuating member having a fork fitting about said In saidmember being mounted on a stud sha t below the main shaft of said motor,a spring for urgin said lever to one circuit-controlling position,adetent armto hold saidjlever in the other circuit controlling position,and a pin on said detent arm in alinement with said'member for causingsaid lever to be released after a predetermined interval of time,

said member being adapted to be manually rotated in one direction tomove said'lever to said other circuit controlling position, and to beautomatically rotated in the reverse direction by said motor to releasesaid detent arm.

3. In a time-controlled mechanism, a switch-actuating lever, aconstant-speed motor, a lever-actuating member rotatively connected withsaid motor, a spring for urging said lever to one circuit controllingposition, adetent arm having a notch in its lower edge to hold saidlever in the other circuit controlling position, and a pin on saiddetent arm in ahnement with said member for causing said lever to bereleased after a redetermined interval of time, said member ing adaptedto be manually rotated in one direction to move said lever to said otherposition and to be automatically rotated in the reverse direction bysaid motor to release said detent arm.

In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my signature to this specification.

FREDERICK LUX.

